The Secrets to Claims Management

Realistically speaking, there isn’t a definite way that an owner or a project manager can prevent claims from occurring during the life of the project. There are always going to be issues that come up and are not preventable, like the weather, which will cause delays. Construction claims consultants do, however, recommend that you take certain steps and pay close attention to certain aspects of the project to minimize the risk of a claim from occurring. Here are some of the top recommendations that experts believe help a construction site on all sides.

Documentation is Essential

A successful project manager encompasses the abilities to lead, react quickly, and document accurately. The development of contract documents needs to enforce certain terms and conditions that are not hidden “between the lines”. The project manager must also understand the importance of record keeping and documentation. For example, if a claim was to arise and the engineer was to make unreasonable allegations, the project owner would be at the mercy of the court unless documents were presented as hard evidence. A construction claims consultant would even validate that this is one of the best courses of action.

Design Professionals

The designers play an important part in claims because there can sometimes be errors, omissions, and conflicts that are found during the project. The secret to successful construction claims management is to pay close attention to the design that’s submitted or respond in a positive and efficient fashion once an error comes up.

The increasing exposure of a design professional has led to them taking a part in the minimization of claims. A construction claims expert would recommend that the design professional play a large role in trying to reduce the risk of errors occurring the project.